


The Unexpected (Peeta x Cato)

by derpyhobbits



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Action/Adventure, Big Gay Love Story, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay Sex, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:17:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derpyhobbits/pseuds/derpyhobbits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>17 year old Cato Hadley has never had much luck at love. His family and friends would always tease him about his unsuccessful love life. He goes to a typical school called Capitol High and wishes he could win the heart of the head Career girl in his class, Katniss Everdeen. Now entering his senior year, Cato soon discovers he could have feelings for someone he never thought he'd have feelings for. Someone like Peeta Mellark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

Cato

Peeta has such an odd name. I mean come on, he's named after bread. That's so pathetic. He's a super sensitive guy (so sensitive it's almost gay) and he cares about other people way too much. He seems like the kind of person I'd hate before even meeting them. And that's exactly what I thought the first day of my senior year at Capitol High.

I threw on my new Metallica shirt that I had bought from Wal-Mart the other day (classy right?). American Eagle jeans that fit my waist just right went along with the outfit for my first day. As always, I checked myself out in the mirror. My dirty blonde hair spiked up in different directions and my multi-colored eyes (one's red, one's blue) seemed deeper in their color than usual. I liked my eyes though. So did the hot group of girls at my school. My buddies and I called them the Careers since the whole flock of hotties all wanted to have the same job when they left high school. Anyway, yeah my one eye is red. Some severely religious Christian people (like my mom for example) thought I was the son of Satan. To be quite honest, I kind of liked that idea. Being the son of the Devil would make me badass, right? Well, as if I wasn't already badass enough.

After brushing my aligned white teeth, I bolted down the stairs to greet my two brothers at the kitchen table. They're names are Cacius and Colton. You can thank my wonderful parents for giving us all names that start with C's. Colton handed me a cold muffin wrapped up in plastic. I placed the so-called-edible thing in the microwave and timed it for two minutes. As I waited, my brothers exclaimed to me that they had to leave for work. Cacius and Colton each gave me a massive man hug before heading out the door. Both of them worked at the Panem Bread Factory, or PBF. It's the most famous bread place you could find in all of Northern Canada. Peeta's father owns it too.

The microwave beeped and I took out the now soggy muffin. Ew. I scarfed it down anyway within half a minute. My iPhone was waiting for me on the counter. My cover case had a bow and arrow on it, mainly to impress the head girl of the Careers group, Katniss Everdeen. My God, she was a beauty. Her long braid that she always wore down her shoulder just made her perfect face even more perfect. Not to mention that fine ass body of hers.

I could rant about that girl all damn day. The time on my phone's cracked screen read a crooked 7:25am. Twenty five minutes till the bus would come. Still got time. I walked back over to the stairs and looked up to my parent's bedroom on the second floor. The door was still closed which meant they were still snoozing away.

My parents aren't... well, normal parents. Like, every year they'd get drunk and throw a party the night before the first day of school because they're so happy that they don't have to deal with us 24/7 anymore. I don't think your average parents do that kind of stuff. Oh well, they're still pretty cool though.

A furry tail rubbed against my legs and I bent down to pick up my cat Scruffers. Did I ever mention my obsession with cats? Scruffers is my baby daddy, thank you very much. We've been through everything together. We both fell off the roof of this here house accidentally when we were just little kittens. He's seen me come of the shower naked plenty of times. And he's been there for me when the rest of the world wasn't. So yeah, you could say we've been through a lot.

I sat down on the nearby couch with Scruffers in my lap and checked the time again. 7:29am. Damn, I'm bored. The old grandfather clock ticked softly on the wall in front of me and soon enough, I fell into a light doze.

A loud horn startled me awake. I looked down at my phone. 7:58! Shit! The bus was waiting impatiently for me at the end of the driveway and I bursted through the back door of the house. Way to make a first impression Cato. Great job.

As I entered the noisy bus, Mr. Crane (the snobby bus driver.. ugh) gave me a stern look.

"Next time it's this late I'm leavin ya!" he nearly shouted at me.

I looked at his untrimmed beard in disgust and headed to the back of the bus to search for my buddies. I saw them messing around at the very last seat and smiled, heading towards them. Marvel and Thresh were watching a video and laughing their asses off at it. When they saw me they instantly jumped up and gave me a group hug.

"Man, we missed you baby!" Thresh stated in excitement while Marvel scootched over for me to sit in between the two of them.

I had just started to explain to them about my wretched summer when Crane shouted back to us.

"Only two people per seat, Mr. Cato Hadley!"

I hated him so much.

The bus seemed to get quieter as I slowly got up and looked around for a free seat. All of them seemed full. Looking towards the middle of the rows, I spotted a seat holding only one person in it. With a sigh, I grabbed my backpack and headed over to the middle of the bus. As I sat down, the bus finally started moving and I glanced over to see who I was sitting next to.

It was none other than Peeta Mellark.


	2. The Shy Bread Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cato is now forced to talk to Peeta. They get stuck sitting together on the bus and are alone together for a full class period. Throughout the school day, however, Cato realizes he actually enjoys the company of the shy bread boy.

Cato

The bus soon became noisy again as Mr. Crane drove down the country terrain. Peeta glimpsed at me once but instantly looked away when our eyes met. I scootched as far away from him as the seat would allow me to. Marvel and Thresh were laughing their asses off again. And I was missing out on it. Great. Hopefully I wasn't going to be stuck with this shy blonde for the rest of the day.

Peeta and I remained silent for the rest of the ride and the minute the bus stopped in front of the school building, I almost sprinted down the aisle to get off. I found my buddies and started talking to them about my summer again as we entered the building and strutted down the full hallway. Getting lost in this enormous maze of a school wasn't uncommon and soon we were asking all around where our homerooms were. Mine ended up being another three hallways down. I said a quick see ya later to my friends and hurried to my class.

Hoping for the best, I opened the door and surveyed my classmates. I looked over to a corner of the room and smirked. Sure enough, the Career girls were sitting together, in my homeroom. And there she was, giggling herself away to a joke one of them in the group just told her. Katniss Everdeen...

My heart pounded and the loose American Eagle jeans that fit my waist perfectly didn't seem so loose anymore. She looked my way for a second and smiled. I just stared at her in awe. Fuck, she was so fine. I made myself look away and sat down before the hardness in my pants would lose control. 

The teacher then got up out of his office chair and stepped up to the front of the room to welcome us. He introduced himself as Mr. Hawthorne. From his appealing appearance, Mr. Hawthorne seemed like a cool guy. Him and I would get along well, I supposed. 

After his short but precise speech, the morning announcements came on and we stood for the pledge just like any other normal school day. Then the bell rang, and off went our class. I pulled out my schedule to see what I'd have first period. Advanced Biology. I smiled a little. Everyone here at Capitol High knew me as the one kid who made it through all those torturing science classes with an A+. Something to be sincerely proud of in this town of Panem.

Since I was the only one who made it through the science class last year, I expected to be the only student in there. Triumphantly making my way to class, I high fived Marvel as he passed by me, on his way to the gym. I walked through the door of the lab class and instantly my triumph disappeared.

Peeta was already there, jotting down notes the teacher had left on the board. When he saw me he didn't do anything, just stared at me. I stared back. We stayed this way until the late bell rang. He shook his head slightly and went back to jotting down notes.

I sat a few seats away and watched him write. His shaking hand moved across the paper in swift motions. His nervous eyes tried to concentrate on the board. He knew I was watching him

"Could you please stop looking at me like that?" he asked politely, still writing.

"Why?" I replied, suddenly feeling an interest to talk to him.

His writing hand stopped moving and he turned to face me. "It's just a bit... intimidating, that's all."

"Intimidating?"

"Yeah, the way you were looking at me seemed quite intimidating. Like you wanted to chop my head off or something."

"And why would I want to do that?" I said with a teasing tone to my voice.

Peeta chuckled lightly. "I don't know. We all have reasons, don't we?"

Hmm, he didn't seem that bad to talk to. "Yes, I suppose we do", I said agreeingly.

The room was silent for a few seconds as Peeta finished up his notes. He put his pencil and paper back into his folder then turned to face me again. "Aren't you going to take the notes?"

"Nah, I don't even bother when it comes to that stuff. Especially when the teacher has an off day."

"Then how the hell are you the only other student in the school to pass this class?" he asked with a smile.

"With this", I exclaimed and pointed to my head.

Peeta laughed. His laugh sounded sweet. Like a careless, I don't give a fuck what you think I'm just gonna laugh kind of sound. It was nice. I liked it.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" I asked him suddenly. It seemed as if he was in a daze when he looked at me.

His face grew a shade of pink as he answered me. "Well, uh, you're a pretty cool looking guy."

Dammit, he was so cute. "Cool looking?"

His face grew redder as he smiled from ear to ear at me. "Yeah. Cool looking.

I wanted to move a few seats closer so that I'd be sitting right next to him but I kept my distance and stayed where I was.

"What do you mean by that?" I playfully asked him.

He twirled his fingers on the desk and looked away from me. 

"Why do you want to talk to me all of a sudden?"

I was surprised at the quick change in his attitude. I stood up and walked over to his desk, standing right next to it. His piercing blue eyes almost stared through my soul, and right then I realized how beautiful Peeta was. 

A new, undiscovered part of me was speaking to him. "Because you're an amazing and beautiful person who I've wanted to get to know for some time now but I was always too shy around you to introduce myself."

Shit. That was too much.

The expression on his face didn't show that it was too much, however. His whole face lit up with happiness and I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief rush through me.

"I'm Peeta Mellark."

"Cato Hadley."

"N-Nice to meet you Cato."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mellark."

After that surprising introduction, I sat down next to him and we had a few discussions about what food we like, my new Metallica shirt (he enjoyed that band too which was a plus), what we did in our free time, whether we watched porn or not (both of us did) and what our favorite colors were.

"My favorite color would have to be blue", I responded to his question. 

"Why?"

I stared into his ocean blue eyes with my own multi-colored ones. "Cause it's nice."

He giggled, scootching his chair a little closer to mine.

"It's a very nice color", he said almost sensually, staring at my right eye (which was the blue one).

I could feel his breath on my skin and all thoughts of wanting Katniss Everdeen and the Career girls disappeared from my mind. I wanted Peeta Mellark. Only Peeta Mellark.

My loose jeans started getting tight again as I felt myself harden. The erection in my pants showed plain as day and Peeta smirked when he noticed it.

He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry, I am too."

I couldn't help but look down. Sure enough, a bulge appeared from his scrawny shorts. My God, he was so sexy. I wanted him. Right here. Right now. Right in this classroom.

Just then, the bell rang.   
Fuck.

"What do you have next?" I asked him eagerly.

He fumbled out his schedule and searched for his second period class. "English."

I looked at my own. "Dammit, I have gym."

He took my schedule and compared it with his.

"Awe, we have almost no classes together. This sucks!"

"It most definitely sucks." I winked at him.

He laughed and stuck his tongue out at me. "Pervert Cato."

"That's a cute nickname", I chuckled.

"Thanks!" he smiled wide at me.

I suddenly came up with an idea. "Hey, how about we meet up after school today? In the woods maybe?"

Peeta grinned. "Sure! No one would see us there", he said mischieviously.

I smirked. He really knew how to turn me on.

"Well I better head off to class! See ya later Cato." 

I waved goodbye to him and headed off to my next class. I stayed hard for the rest of the school day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Romance time! Yay!   
> This chapter shows Cato falling in love with Peeta, basically.
> 
> Peeta's personality is brought out more in this chapter as well.
> 
> The explicit stuff will appear shortly, so be patient you dirty readers.
> 
> Hope you liked it! I made it much longer too. Hehe.  
> Have a good day lovely!
> 
> Xx -Angie


	3. Bruises & Lock Combinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN ON IN AGES! I HOPE I DIDN'T HURT YOUR PEETATO FEELINGS! D:  
> Anyways, so I changed up this chapter completely because I hated how it turned out before.  
> So yeah!  
> I hope you like this version better than the older one.  
> And Merry Christmas to you all!

Cato

The woods behind the school were abundant and not a place someone would want to take a stroll in. Predators like wolves and occasional tracker jacker nests lurked through the thick brush of the dark place. Most of the ghost stories our grandparents would tell us took place in those woods. Sightings of ghosts and goblins have been reported in them too. One of the more famous sightings was the Ghost of Mags. They say she was killed by a mysterious fog-like creature that used to roam in these woods long ago before it went extinct, and she seeks vengeance on anyone who dares to enter the damned forest.

Personally, I think it's all bullshit. Plus, that place covers anything that goes on in it, with its thick trees and tall, gnarling brush. A perfect place to get away with the bread boy.

After my morning classes were over (thank sweet Jesus for that) I headed over to the cafeteria with Thresh and Marvel treading next to me. It felt awkward being around them now that I knew I had a "gay" side to me.

The lunch line was surprisingly short, and I quickly took a tray of sloppy pizza and beans (ew). Finding a seat in that crammed lunchroom had always been extremely difficult, and this year it was no different. Thankfully, Thresh had found a table while Marvel and I were in line. He never eats the school's food. Claims it's poisonous. We don't argue with him, but we eat the food anyway.

Silence settled itself on our table as the rest of the place buzzed with noise. Thresh and Marvel quickly noticed my unusually quiet self and they began to question what was wrong. I just told them I didn't feel good and drifted back to my thoughts. After a lot of convincing and complaining, Marvel made me go to the nurse. He worries too much about peoples' health, especially mine. It's almost as if he has a crush on me... 

Anyhow, so I started for the nurse's office, trying to come up with an excuse to stay in school. Once you enter that lady's office there's no turning back. She's a huge softie when it comes to sending kids home. I still remember reading an article in the paper about her almost getting fired for sending home a first grader with a runny nose. The thought made me chuckle to myself as I took a sharp left and opened the door labeled "Nurse's Laboratory". Closing the door slowly behind me, I glanced around the brightly lit room. My heart skipped a beat.

There sat Peeta with his sweatshirt's sleeves rolled up, twiddling his thumbs ever so innocently whilst staring at the clock in the corner of the room. The tightness I felt in my pants increased almost immediately after he noticed me. Smirking, he motioned for me to sit in the empty stool next to his. As I seated myself he turned to me, revealing a bruise on his right forearm.

"What happened?" I asked, gesturing towards his arm.

He looked down and immediately rolled his sleeve back down, blushing. "It's nothing."

An intense feeling of concern rose in me. "C'mon, it's obviously something."

Peeta stared at me for what seemed like an eternity and a small flash of sorrow glided across his beautiful face. "I... um... fell."

"I don't believe a single word of what you're saying. Tell me what happened." 

He looked away from me and, after waiting for some time, I finally broke the silence. "I'll let you get away with it for now but you have some serious explaining to do later."

"Later?" He looked back at me curiously. "When would that be?"

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Mellark", I explained as a hint of a smile crawled onto my lips.

The tone in my voice made him chuckle. Relaxing his shoulders, he turned to face me again.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"My one friend worries about me too much and he basically made me come here after I told him I wasn't feeling good."

"Oh, he seems like a cool guy." I couldn't help but sense a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"I guess he can be". I tried to shrug off the tense mood.

His thumbs continued to twiddle and he blew a curly strand of blond out of his face.

"You're cooler though", I smiled at him.

Grinning, he let his eyes skim over me without hesitation. They paused and rested on my tight jeans. I felt a wave of heat rush through my skin and my stomach felt full of pattering butterflies. It was just me and him for a moment, then the slam of a door startled both of us back to reality.

The nurse, Ms. Coin is her name, stomped into the room and threw a pile of paperwork down onto her desk. She was mumbling to herself angrily, not paying any attention to us. 

"Um, hello?" Peeta looked at her questioningly. 

She stopped fumbling through papers on her desk and turned to us with a glare. "Hi."

Peeta and I looked at each other, confused. I stood up and took a step forward. "Ma'am?"

"I am NOT in the mood right now."

"Should we come back later?" Peeta asked.

Ms. Coin looked back at us again, this time with a bewildered look. "Are you crazy?! There's only two minutes left of school!"

I glanced at the clock. Shit! She was right. "May as well wait here till the bell rings", I stated.

We sat there in silence while the nurse made about five bajillion frantic phone calls. I couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but each call was about the same topic. Apparently, some thing had been shut down. And whatever it was, it seemed to upset her very much.

The dismissal bell rang. Peeta and I walked out of the room and turned down the hallway to where our lockers were. Excitement boiled inside me as I realized that we would be heading to the woods in a matter of minutes. I wondered what he'd let me do with him, if anything. We stopped in front of his locker and I watched him put in the lock combination.

"23-5-15?" I bit my lip playfully.

He gave me a blank stare. "You sneaky bastard." 

We both laughed. God, his laugh is so sexy. The erection in my pants made sure to remind me that it was still there. I shifted my legs into a more comfortable position while he gathered his belongings into a backpack. Slinging it onto his shoulder, he asked me if I had to stop by my locker. I nodded my head no, so we continued on to the exit doors. To the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
> 
> Xx -Angie


	4. A Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cato's fear of thunderstorms causes the two lovebirds to go find shelter at Peeta's house, otherwise known as the town bakery.

Cato

As we walked on the gravel sidewalk next to the school parking lot, I noticed the sky begin to darken.

"Peeta, I think a storm's heading our way", I alerted him.

He looked up. "Oh. It doesn't look too bad. I think we can keep go-"

The crackle of thunder startled us both. Fear began to rise inside of me. Thunderstorms just didn't float my boat, if you know what I mean. My legs told me to bolt to my house right then and there, but I made myself stay put. I didn't want to seem like a 6'3 gay pussy in front of Peeta, especially since this was our first time hanging out together outside of school (even though the damn building was right in front of us).

Lightning flashed white in the sky. Peeta guided me towards a shallow dip in the ground near the edge of the woods. The area was protected by thick brush and three small pine trees. With the dip and coverage, this cove made a perfect sitting area for two people who wanted to be alone together.

"We should be safe here."

I looked over at Peeta. "Now what?"

He glanced at the slight lump in my pants then looked away, blushing. "Whatever you wanna do."

A smirk danced across my face as I allowed myself to slide in closer to him. He noticed my move and replied by placing his hand next to me. Not knowing what to do next, I leaned myself towards him. Right before the most amazing kiss I'd ever receive, another crack of thunder jolted me upright. Peeta wrapped his arm around my shoulder, massaging his fingers on my skin soothingly. I closed my eyes in content. My jeans grew tighter.

Completely forgetting about the thunderstorm, a wave of heat rushed through me as temptation took over. I cradled Peeta's cheek with my hand and I kissed him roughly on the lips. He immediately responded, putting one hand on my chest while continuing to massage my shoulder with the other. The first few drops of rain fell, but I didn't care. I needed Peeta.

I almost immediately let go of him after hearing a boom of thunder right above us. The panicky feeling came back again, and this time I couldn't stand it. I had to get out of there. Peeta somehow read my mind and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet along with him. My legs were shaking and I felt a sense of nausea in my stomach. Staggering, I let myself lean against Peeta's lean physique for support as we headed away from the woods as quickly as possible. Fighting back the urge to puke up my guts, I tried to focus my eyes on Peeta's wavy blonde hair. It bounced in the surging wind while he kept a firm grasp on my shoulders and quickened his pace.

After a few more claps of thunder and bolts of lightning, I saw a familiar building in the distance. The bakery.

'Oh great, I wonder how awkward it's gonna be in front of his parents', I thought. I'd only seen his father once before, selling baked goods at the 74th annual Captiol fairgrounds. As for his mother, I didn't know if she even existed.

The place seemed vacant, but Peeta went ahead and knocked on the door anyway. I got a good glimpse of the house while we waited. The paint on the outside walls was a bland grey, and two windows propped out of the crooked porch. Tall grasses grew around the three stairs leading to the door, and the railings were stripped of their paint. This would be a perfect setting for a horror movie.

Goosebumps edged off of my forearms. I shivered, realizing how cold it must be outside. Knocking several more times, Peeta motioned for me to come inside even after no one answered. How strange...

I cautiously made my way up the steps as they creaked in protest beneath my Nike basketball shoes. The kitchen was the first room we entered. An unfinished pile of dishes greeted us in silence as we roamed through the eerie place. Chills ran through me, and this time it wasn't because of the cold.

Peeta guided me to a room on the other side of the kitchen smaller than an average closet. In it was a simple bed with worn out sheets and a tiny dresser with a candle that was nearly spent. He let me sit down and survey the room. Closing the door ever so softly, as if not wanting to disturb someone, he sat next to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"I'm sorry you have to see this filthy place", he exclaimed sadly.

"Is it always like... this?" I asked, worrying about the poor conditions he lived in.

"Always has been. Always will be."

"...Oh." I couldn't come up with anything to reassure him.

He leaned his head against my shoulder. "Yeah, it sucks."

I smoothed the few strands of his hair that were sticking up. "I'd believe so." After sitting for a short time in silence, I asked him where his parents were.

"Working." I heard a hint of anger in his voice.

"But this is the bakery, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He seemed annoyed.

I gently pushed him off of my shoulder and made him face me. My tone was dead serious. "I know you're hiding something from me. I understand that you don't wanna talk about it now, being that we just met. But if we would progress with our friendship and at some point be... together, well then I wouldn't want you to keep any secrets from me, large or small."

Peeta grinned and touched my cheek. "I won't keep any secrets from you."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

I smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead. We held hands and stared at one another for a moment longer, then I came up with an idea.

"How about we play Truth or Dare?"

"Sounds like a damn good time", he smirked.

"Oh it most definitely will be. But we have to tell each other the complete truth no matter what." I looked down at our hands intertwined together, then looked back up at him. He simply nodded in agreement.

"Deal?"

He paused for a second. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm always grateful when I get amazing support on my stories from people! :) Sorry if this chapter doesn't seem as long as others or doesn't have much action in it. I added the kiss in there to tease you guys ;) Mwahaha, hope you enjoy it at least a little bit. I'll most definitely have the next chapter up by the end of January! There are too many major school projects due this month, so writing on my own has been postponed for a while. Anyways, love all of my readers! And have a nice day.


	5. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cato and Peeta decide to play a game of Truth or Dare. But neither of them are prepared for what's going to happen next.

Cato

"Have you ever smoked weed?"

It was my turn to answer the question. "Of course."

Peeta looked astonished. "Really?! How was it? Who'd you do it with? Did you see things?"

"You were only supposed to ask one question, sweetheart," I responded, giving him a playful glare. "But it was a pretty good time. I did it with my brothers when we were home alone one day. And yes, I did indeed see things."

"What kind of things did you see?" His eyebrows rose with curiousity.

"Monkeys... lots and lots of monkeys."

We both laughed and continued on with our game of Truth or Dare. Time seemed to slow down the longer we played. 

"Truth or Dare?" It was Peeta's turn.

"Mmmmm dare." Finally!

"What can I have you do for your first dare? Hmmm." I scratched my chin in thought as he impatiently waited for me to say something.

"I dare you to... put an ice cube in your boxers."

"And freeze my dick off? No thanks!" he exclaimed nervously.

"I won't take no for an answer Bread Boy", I smirked.

After arguing back and forth for what seemed like quite a while, Peeta finally gave in and reluctantly made his way to the kitchen. I took out my phone and set the camera on it to video. This was going to be interesting. 

He looked up at me with a puppy dog face, but in return I just chuckled and said "Go on."

As I pressed the record button and focused in on Peeta's pants, he reached into the fridge and grabbed a filthy looking ice cube. Giving me one last glance of regret, he pulled out his boxers with his forefinger and slowly slid the ice cube down them, wincing when it touched skin. Then his face cringed up like a baby who had just eaten something sour and let out a high pitched whoop. I couldn't contain myself any longer. Bursts of laughter escaped me, and pretty soon I had dropped my phone and was tearing up on the floor. 

"Can I take it out now?!?" Peeta asked, his voice still high pitched.

"Y-ye-ahah..." I was completely losing it.

Peeta immediately took the ice cube out and had a hand clutched to his crotch. He sat down next to me on the kitchen floor, waiting until my laughter subsided. Running a hand through my hair, he leaned forward and whispered in my ear seductively. "I'm never doing that again."

I giggled and grabbed my phone that was still lying on the floor. "At least I have it on here now!" I said, waving the device in the air. 

He tried to grab it from me then whispered into my ear again. "You should delete that."

"Should I really?" I asked mischievously. 

"Mhm..." He placed a delicate hand on my arm. 

"Oh. Where is this going?" I questioned him teasingly.

His voice stayed in a sensual tone and I could feel my jeans begin to harden once more. "Somewhere..."

Leaning forward, he began to kiss me. My senses pulsed through me and all I could feel was the heat from Peeta's breath brushing against my lips. I felt the urge to unbutton his pants but I forced myself to wait. Rushing things wouldn't get us anywhere. 

He manuevered his lips around mine and slid his tongue onto the roof of my mouth. Closing my eyes, I let out a low moan as he explored the insides of my mouth with his beautifully curved tongue. Our bodies pressed against one another and Peeta moved his hand from my shoulder down to the bottom of my shirt, skillfully reaching underneath it to caress the soft skin just above my stomach. I trailed my tongue down his lips, to his chin, up to the start of his jawline and finally rested it on the hollow of his throat and gently sucked. Hearing him gasp with pleasure turned me on even more, and I began to suck a little harder.

A loud thud at the door startled us both. Peeta saw the figure on the porch a second before I did. 

"Hide in that closet over there! Now!" I wasn't sure at first what Peeta was making a big fuss about but it startled me nonetheless, so I quickly made my way to the small door in the hallway and watched through a small crack as Peeta turned the main lights off and dove behind the kitchen counter. It was too dark to see anything with the lights off but I leaned an ear against the door's rough boards and listened. 

Silence crept into the house, and for a while I thought I was the only one there. A door suddenly opened, which I assumed was the front door, and echoes of heavy footsteps entered the place. They moved to the hallway that I was in, and my breath caught in my throat. The footsteps stopped for a brief moment, and in that moment the silence threatened to engulf my entire being. Shock took over me and all I could do was stand still and hope my heartbeat wasn't loud enough for the stranger to hear it. 

When the footsteps slowly resumed down the hallway, I let out a quiet breath of relief. But there was still Peeta to worry about. He didn't have the best hiding spot in the house.

The sound of the stranger's steps hardened and became more hollow as they moved along onto the kitchen's tiled floor. They stopped again, but this time it wasn't for just a brief moment. I had to keep myself from running out there and attempting to beat the shit out of the intruder in order to keep Peeta safe. My anxiety was on edge. 

There was the shuffling of multiple feet, and then a surprised yelp from Peeta. I was too stunned to move. Every muscle in my body had froze into place.

"Why are you hiding from me?!" bellowed the stranger. His voice was deep and menacing, but it sounded hauntingly familiar.

"I-I didn't know it was you..." It sounded like Peeta was trying to hold back tears.

"Well who else would it be?! You know I always get home at this time of day!"

"I'm s-sorry, fath-er."

Mr. Mellark... I knew I'd recognized that voice from somewhere. 

"There's a reason why you're hiding from me... don't think I don't know. I saw you with that Hadley boy. Now tell me where he is or I'll do the same thing to you as I did to your mother last week!"

What the hell is going on?!

"No! Please... anything but that..." Peeta's voice trailed off and there was more shuffling. The sound of a cabinet door opening then slamming.

"Brace yourself, boy." Mr. Mellark sounded more amused now. Peeta began begging but his pleas were cut off as his body thudded against the kitchen floor. A loud cracking noise shook the house, followed by a bone-chilling howl of pain from Peeta.

A whip. Peeta was being whipped by his father.

Before I had a chance to move, Peeta started to yell at his father. Another cracking noise sounded in return, and a chuckle escaped from Mr. Mellark. Anger swelled up inside me but I knew Peeta's father well enough to know that I wouldn't be able to beat him in a fight. He was just too strong and too smart. 

In one last desperate attempt, Peeta screamed as loud as he could. My blood curdled at the sound of it and I found myself plugging my ears.

Peeta started to scream a second time but it was cut off by another crack of the whip. Then there was a soft thud, and nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, violence! Who doesn't love that stuff? Just kidding, but seriously.  
> I've finally updated guys! THANK YOU WINTER BREAK.  
> Hope you people continue to find my story entertaining.  
> You're all wonderful readers and I love you. <3  
> Have a fantastical day!


	6. Dreaded Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cato is faced with problems he never knew he'd have to face.   
> DUNDUNDUN (sorry, just had to add that in there).

Cato

White light. That was all I could see. The pitter patter of raindrops came from the left side of me, while concerned voices shattered the silence on the other. Figures began to appear, first as ovals, then gradually forming into heads, shoulders, and finally legs.

"Hey buddy", a familiar voice said above me. It was a man's voice. "How are you feeling?"

An instant flash of pain tore through my head as I tried to sit up and recollect my thoughts. My arms fell limp at my sides. A pair of hands steadied me and slowly brought me back up to a sitting position. After blinking and steadying my breath, my vision became clearer. A single window sat near the corner of the simple white room. The weather outside seemed horrific to me. Rain was coming down in sheets. Every few seconds a burst of lightning raced across the sky. But where was the thunder?

The light brush of a forefinger on my neck broke my daze, and I turned myself around to face five people. My parents, my two brothers, and Mr. Mellark.

I could feel beads of sweat hanging from my forehead as my body tensed up, staring at Mr. Mellark with nothing but fear crawling through me. The others silently left the room, leaving me alone with him.

He smiled.

"You didn't answer my question, Mr. Hadley", he smirked as he slipped something out of his pocket. It was a whip.

My breath quickened.

His hands massaged the end of the whip as he began to uncoil it ever so slowly.

"W-what question, sir?" I heard myself speak but my lips weren't moving.

He smiled again. This time wider.

"How are you feeling?..." Before I had time to respond, Mr. Mellark stood up suddenly and swung the whip around my neck. Darkness seeped into my eyes, and I couldn't feel anymore.

~

My eyes opened and I jolted upright. Fucking hell, another nightmare. When will this end?! My bed was soaked with sweat, which completely grossed me out so I got up and crept out the door to go get fresh sheets. As I passed the living room I glanced over to check the time. 3:30. The exact same time that I woke up the few nights before. Talk about creepy?

Grabbing fresh sheets and a can of Febreze (because yes, my night sweats tend to smell bad... really bad), I quietly made my way back up the stairs to my room. After cleaning up everything and making my room smell somewhat okay again, I huddled back under my covers and looked outside one of the windows. It was a clear night, with the stars twinkling over the dark blue shades of the night sky. Settling back onto my pillow, my thoughts instantly drifted to Peeta.

I couldn't stop worrying about him. Even though everyone was telling me that he was fine, the slashing sound of whip meeting skin still rung in my ears. A question that's been scratching at the back of my mind arose once more. Where is Mr. Mellark?

No one reported anything about his disappearance. Not even Mrs. Mellark, who was the one who had called the police shortly after I blacked out. She had heard the screams while on her way back from work, apparently.

I shuddered, taking a deep breath, and attempted to relax. After that didn't work, a Metallica song seemed to do the trick, and soon enough I was asleep once more.

Getting out of bed and facing a new day had become difficult for me. I don't know if it's because of what happened or because of how quiet this town had become. It seemed to me like the event triggered an utter silence among everyone that seemed to hang in the thin polluted air, demanding pain to sift through our every breath.

I was barely awake enough to get ready, and I definitely wasn't in the mood for breakfast. Cassius was starting to get worried. He claimed that I was losing weight because of my lack in appetite. I didn't doubt it, but my depressed mind seemed to be getting the better of me. So I skipped breakfast again.

The bus ride was horrible as it had usually been for a while now. Nobody spoke. Even Mr. Crane seemed somewhat sorry for me. I took a seat alone in the back of the bus, not even bothering to look over at my friends Thresh and Marvel. Staring out the frosted window was the only thing I could do to keep myself from looking into the sorrowful faces of my peers around me.

Homeroom was quiet. No paper airplanes were tossed. There was no one for Mr. Hawthorne to give detention to. It was complete silence.

The Biology teacher had an off day again. I was the only one in the room this time. Glancing up at the board, I skimmed the notes for the day and remembered my first conversation with Peeta. I ripped a piece of paper from an almost empty notebook and began to copy the words that meant nothing to me. The more I wrote, the slower my hand moved, and pretty soon I was facedown on the desk, bawling my eyes out. I cried for Peeta and the silence that dreaded the town. I cried for my family and their worry over me. I cried for life itself and its meaning to me. I cried and cried, until every sob that wrecked my body was spent. By the time the last tear escaped me, the bell had already rung. I was going to be late to gym.

When the final dismissal bell rang, I headed over to my locker and began to pack away my things. The sound of footsteps coming towards me didn't bother me too much. People stopping to say sorry had almost become a daily ritual at the end of the school day. Refusing to turn around and acknowledge the person, I let them come up to me as I continued to pack but stopped suddenly.

Katniss Everdeen stared up at me with a look of... what was it? Longing? Understanding? She might've been the first person to actually not seem sad for me. To be honest, I kind of liked that.

"I know you hate it when people feel sorry for you, especially during a time like this. I would feel the same way if I'd be in your position. But I want you to take this. You know, just so I can show you that you're in my thoughts." She held out a rose. All of the thorns were sliced off of it. The color of its petals were a deep vibrant red, just like my left eye.

With a slight smile and nod, Katniss walked off down the hallway towards the bus stop. I stood and watched her leave, and for a minute I felt a strange urge to get on the bus with her. I shook off the feeling. Turning and putting the rest of my belongings into the backpack, I secured the lock back into its place and headed the opposite direction that Katniss went.

It's been two weeks since the horrid event occurred. I'm still having nightmares. The town is still silent. Mr. Mellark is still missing. And the Shy Bread Boy is still in a coma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadness... isn't it great?  
> Just kidding, but still. I like a little sad in my stories every now and then.  
> Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry for the really late updates, I've actually had some sadness going on in my life right now as well. But definitely not as bad as Cato's.  
> I think I put my characters through too much bullcrap (teehee).  
> Oh well, please leave comments and kudos! Love you all :)
> 
> Xx- Angie


	7. The Rains of Castamere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cato attempts to face his problems and isn't sure what to think of things at the moment.

NOTICE: All credits of the song go to the makers of Game of Thrones and to The National. All of the references used from Game of Thrones are credited to them as well. I am only using these as a part of my story to make it more dramatic. If you'd like to look up the actual song, it is called "The Rains of Castamere" by The National.

Cato

The TV was still on by the time I made my walk home. My brothers were probably watching the new season of Game of Thrones. I wasn't really into that medieval kind of stuff, even though almost everyone I knew had recommended the show to me at some point in time. I decided to try it out later, but in the meantime I had homework to catch up on.

Jogging up the stairs, I looked to see my bedroom door still slightly open just as I had left it this morning before heading out for the bus. It creaked as I attempted to make my way into the messy room as silently as possible, since my parents were probably still sleeping. After that failed, I just gave up and shut the door behind me with a slam.

Jeez, was my room a mess! I tossed my bag on the nightstand and sat on my bed to survey the place. Clothes here, clothes there, clothes everywhere. My desk in the corner was almost unrecognizable with all of the papers scattered on top of it. I then realized how closed off I must've become from everything. Ever since the incidence with Peeta, all I'd really been doing was lying in the comfort of my bed sheets, debating with myself whether things were going to be okay or not. I hadn't come to a final decision yet because I still wanted to have hope for my Bread Boy. Still, I almost had to force myself to think he was going to be alright.

Math homework was always bullshit to me, but this time I couldn't even make out what was on the pages. Formulas and numerous amounts of numbers and letters flashed through my mind until a pair of deep blue eyes appeared. Gradually, the rest of his face followed. The soft golden locks of hair, the perfectly set nose that no one else could pull off, the slightly curved chin with the profound jawline. A smile played across his face, and I fell asleep next to my math homework thinking about kissing those soft lips once more.

~

Another dragging day had gone by followed by another dragging week. Peeta's face was all I ever thought about anymore. There was still nothing new about his condition, aside from the lashes on his back beginning to close up. He was still in that wretched coma. I wished there was some way I could wake him up.

My popularity was fading amongst the school of Panem. Not that I gave a flying fuck about it, but it began to make me wonder... who was going to take my place? Surely it wouldn't be Marvel or Thresh. They were the only two loyal human beings on this planet whom I could call my true friends. Neither of them would ever dare try to take my spot as King of the class (yes, that was the stupid nickname my peers had developed for me throughout the years). Who was I ever the king of anyways? Everyone at Capitol High was either a druggie or someone that you might consider insane. They all had something wrong with them, and this group of people definitely did not deserve a class leader.

But, like the arrogant idiot I was, I claimed the throne as mine and no one had gone a day pondering whether or not they could take it. I can still remember getting into fist fights after school with a bunch of low-life guys from my class that I didn't even know, just to see who could stand up to be King of the class. And I had never lost.

Now, however, I'm afraid that's going to change. But that has little to do with what I care most about right now.

It had been raining almost nonstop since the incident. Oh, the irony.

Mud sloshed against my boots as I made my way back from a long day of school. Katniss had stopped by my locker again with more sorrowful condolences. This time she had given me her number and I grasped the now wet orange sticky note that she had written it on. I trudged along the slimy ground, wondering about what she had said to me.

"I'm here for you whenever you need me. You know that, right?"

"Yeah... I guess so."

She grinned at me. "Good."

I grinned back and nodded farewell, turning towards the exit door.

"Cato!" she called back for me.

"Yeah?"

"We should, you know, hangout sometime. It might, I don't know, do you some good maybe?" Her cheeks flushed a bright pink.

A sudden urge to see her grew inside of me but I shook it off quickly once Peeta ran across my mind again. "Uh, sure!"

Her face lit up with a smile and she bid me farewell.

~

Once I got home, the TV was on again. Well, Cacius and Colton must really want to pay that electric bill. I glanced over to see what was on. Game of Thrones, obviously. Rolling my eyes, I went to the kitchen to fix myself a sandwich. When I came back the episode had just ended and the credits came on. The song that started playing suddenly caught my interest and I couldn't help but sit down and listen to it. As I took a bite out of my ham sandwich, I listened to the deep man's voice singing the lyrics, and the song went something like this:

"And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low? Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know. In a coat of gold or a coat of red, a lion still has claws, And mine are long and sharp, my lord, as long and sharp as yours. And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere, But now the rains weep o'er his hall, with no one there to hear. Yes now the rains weep o'er his hall, and not a soul to hear."

When it was over, I sat there rubbing my fingers against the sticky note, trying to comprehend the meaning behind the song. It sounded hauntingly familiar and curiosity got the best of me, so I raced up the stairs to find out more information about this Game of Thrones show.

By the time my parents had gotten back from work, I had ran through half of the first season (each season had ten episodes, each an hour long) and had memorized the lyrics of the song, The Rains of Castamere. It was already half past eleven and I hurriedly brushed my teeth and threw on pajamas to make it look like I had attempted to fall asleep. Pretending to yawn, I steadily made my way down the steps and greeted my parents.

"Cato, can we talk to you for a minute?" My parents were both giving me serious looks.

My act of pretending to be tired disappeared and a small lump formed inside of my throat. "S-Sure..."

Mom put a hand on my shoulder. "It's about Peeta."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I immediately broke down sobbing. "He's dead isn't he?! All of this time I had hope and now he's fucking dead!" I cried into my mother's shoulder but she gently brushed me off. They were both silent until I calmed down. A firm hand grasped my arm.

"No Cato," my father's usual bellowing voice was much gentler now. "He's awake. And we're going to take you to the hospital tomorrow morning to visit him."

~

Joy flooded through my veins. I felt happy getting out of bed. My usual hour long shower shrank down to about five short minutes. Shoving a piece of toast in my mouth, I bid good morning to my hung-over brothers (who had spent the whole night at a friend's house getting drunk off their asses). They just grunted at me and continued to chug more out of their water bottles. And I was almost 100% sure that what they were chugging wasn't actually water. 

Impatience gnawed at me and I yelled for my parents to hurry up. I had to see Peeta now. They both took their sweet time coming down the stairs and I stamped my foot at them and jogged to the car. The ride to the hospital was probably the most anticipating and thrilling fifteen minutes I had ever experienced in my entire life.

We entered a set of double doors and an extremely tiny but cute nurse was already waiting for us.

"He's down the hall, third room on the right. Don't take too long," she explained, then gave us a quirky smile and went off to see to a patient sitting in a wheelchair.

I almost bolted down the hallway and took a deep breath when I reached the door. Turning the handle, I entered the completely white room and looked around.

There, on the bed covered with tubes in the corner of the room, was Peeta Mellark. It was a scratched up Peeta Mellark, but it was Peeta Mellark nonetheless. He turned his head towards the door when he heard us come in. His deep blue eyes looked right up into my own multi-colored ones, and he smiled at me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Happy ending! For now... *insert evil laughter here*  
> Any Game of Thrones buffs out there? I am one myself, if you couldn't tell already.  
> So yeah, hope you all enjoyed this next chapter!  
> Another update should be made during this month.  
> Keep on shining, little doves.
> 
> Xx -Angie


	8. Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta is finally awake and Cato gets a chance to express his love for him.

Cato

My heart skipped a beat (or two beats, or three) when I heard his voice. I had almost forgotten what it sounded like. Peeta was always a calm and collected kind of guy, and those characteristics were shown through his beautiful voice. It was soothing to my ears.

"Hey big boy," he said to me. A shiver went down my spine. God, I'd missed him.

"How you holding up?" My voice cracked and Peeta chuckled, which sent him into a coughing fit. A sort of haziness loomed over his eyes. I immediately rushed to his side.

"I'm fine..."

"Doesn't really seem like it, sweetheart."

He managed to sit himself up and gave me a weird look. "Don't call me sweetheart, you queer." He hacked up a cough again and smirked. At least his spirit wasn't broken.

"The nurse said they'll be able to release you within the next week. That's good, right?" I anticipated. Peeta seemed to be drifting off when I said that but he was still able to answer me. "Yeah I guess so..."

After a few more minutes of light conversation, the petite nurse peeked in the room and informed me that I should be on my way shortly. I nodded and she smiled wide, showing off a studded tooth piercing before closing the door gently behind her. Looking back at Peeta, I kissed him lightly on the forehead and started to get up. A harsh tug on my arm made me stop.

He had a firm grip on me and he refused to let go. His eyes seemed to stare straight through me, as if he were about to head to another dimension. Anxiety leaped through me and I didn't know what to do until I noticed his face grow dreary. It seemed like he wanted to ask me something but didn't want to say it out loud.

"Have you heard anything about my dad?" The question hung in the air like a needle on a thread. A sharp needle on a thread.

"Well, no... I'll keep my eyes and ears open for any signs or news of him."

A single tear slipped down Peeta's cheek. "I hope you never hear anything of him. Ever."

I sat down next to him on the white hospital bed. "And I sure as hell hope so too."

He grinned and I leaned forward to kiss him. Savoring the taste of his sweet breath on my tongue, we lingered there in content silence as our lips moved in quiet pleasure. Then I softly pulled away, still nibbling at his bottom lip, and looked at him with a satisfied smirk.

He shook his head. "You're so gay."

"Well that makes two of us." We laughed and I gave him one last quick smooch before leaving the room.

~

School was a breeze for the next few days. People were flocking to me with their excited smiles and felicitations about Peeta. By the end of the week, the only person who hadn't congratulated me was Katniss. I hadn't even seen her in school. That's totally not weird at all...

I sat on my bed, daydreaming about the kiss at the hospital while flipping the channel on my TV to HBO. A new Game of Thrones episode should be on in a few minutes.

Yawning, I stretched out my arms and attempted to stand up but stumbled on top of my desk, knocking over some school shit. As I cussed to myself and began to pick up the papers, the sticky note with Katniss's number appeared under the pile. After pondering for a few seconds I took out my cellphone and gave her a call. Not that I like her anymore, but I was curious as to why she's been missing school ever since Peeta woke up.

It went straight to voicemail. Strange. I left a short message and then tried calling a couple more times before finally giving up and lying back down on my bed. Where could she have gone? She would never be able to skip school. Her mom was too strict to let that happen. Maybe she was just really sick. Well, I hope that's the case at least.

Game of Thrones came and went. Soon I was fast asleep.

~

My phone's annoying buzzes startled me awake and I nervously looked over to see who it was. The ATT store had notified me that my internet space was low. I grunted and shut my phone off. It was only 2:23. In the damn morning. I turned over on my side and tried to fall back asleep, but the consequences going on inside my head refused to get any rest. Sitting up in bed, I surveyed my room. Messy school shit in one corner, messy clothes shit in another. I'm such a low-life.

There was a tap on my window. I looked over only to see the trees moving with the wind. It was probably just a stupid bird. Those fucktards always like to slam their heads as hard as they can onto my bedroom windows.

Another tap. "Get the fuck outta here, you damn birds," I mumbled.

A third tap and I was stomping across the room and flinging the window open.

"Psst," a voice called from below. So it wasn't a bird...

"Peeta?! What the hell are you doing, you're still supposed to be resting at the hospital!" I hissed down at him. A pile of pebbles stood at his feet.

"What do you want me to do, go back there and not visit you? I don't think so," he replied mischievously.

"Well..." I didn't know what to say in return.

"I'm lonely."

I looked at him with sarcastic concern. "Well that's a problem we will have to address later."

As I turned to go back to my bed, I heard him call out to me again.

"What do you want?" I demanded, somewhat annoyed with him.

"I want to make love to you, Cato Hadley."

Goosebumps appeared all over my arms and a jolt of electric surged in me. Well that escalated quickly.

"But... right now?" I bit my lip, knowing it would be hard to resist him.

He smiled up at me. "Why do you think I would walk all the way up here?"

I felt my cheeks get hot. I didn't need to think of an answer. "I'll be down in a minute."

"And I'll be waiting right here."

Once I closed my door as quietly as possible and sneaked my way down the stairs, I met Peeta at the door and we started for his house, walking hand in hand.

His house felt much brighter since his dad was gone. Everything was neat and clean, even the spot where Peeta had been abused.

We took our shoes and socks off in the kitchen then made our way to his small bedroom. I shut the door quietly behind me, naturally paranoid that someone would hear us. Peeta beckoned for me to take a seat on his bed and I watched, mesmerized, as he began to remove his articles of clothing.

When he got down to his pants he stopped and looked at me seductively. "I want you to take them off," he groaned lightly. The bulge in my pants got tighter and tighter as I unzipped his pants and slid them and his boxers off.

Oh my God.

He smirked at me. "Ready?"

Too horny to speak, I gave a slight nod and he moved towards me, rubbing his exposed self against me lightly as he first slid off my shirt, then my pants, and then my boxers. He took them off slowly, then got on his knees and gently started suckling on the head of my erection. Wave after wave of energetic pleasure soared through me and I ran my fingers through his blonde waves of hair, moaning as his tongue caressed the vein below my tip.

He stopped after a few more suckles, then he stood facing me, his lips wet with saliva and pre-cum. Placing a hand on my back, he nudged me forward so that I was lying on my stomach, completely naked. I turned my head to watch him. He positioned himself above me and cautiously slid his own erection into me. After getting a firm grasp on my legs, he began to thrust himself in, gently at first, but then more and more vigorously. His bare chest brushed against my back as my insides began to indulge a sort of satisfying pleasure I had never felt before and I lifted myself up higher so he could thrust deeper.

Peeta wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my back while he continued to go in and out of me. The moans escaping his lips vibrated on my skin and my breath came in gasps as we both slid back and forth in one rhythm.

"Oh God, Cato..." He gave one last hard thrust before I felt him ejaculate inside me. When he was finished, he collapsed on his side and we both lied there, motionless, staring at each other while trying to catch our breath.

After what seemed like a few minutes, I finally found my voice.

"I love you faggot."

He laughed and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "I love you too queer."

We cuddled against one another, our naked bodies giving us warmth under the thin blanket. I glanced over at the time on the alarm clock. 4:56.

"Damn, you took forever to finish," I teased Peeta.

He stuck his tongue out at me and ruffled up my hair. I smiled and stood up to get dressed. I was still shaking a bit from the experience I just had, but I gradually was able to put my clothes on and walk to the kitchen. The Shy Bread Boy followed me and helped me with my shoes.

"See you soon?" I asked him as I walked to the door.

"Definitely."

I gave him one last long and passionate kiss before heading out the door.

~

Making my way up the stairs was difficult, considering the fact that my legs were wobbling and I had to keep quiet so my parents wouldn't wake up and throw a fit. When I got to my room, I threw off my clothes again and snuggled into bed.

Soon I found myself dozing off, and the last thing I pictured was Peeta's seductive smile and his blonde wisps of hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmm yeah. Sex.  
> Haha I hope you all enjoyed this rather graphic chapter.  
> The next update will be in early May.  
> Happy reading!  
> Xx -Angie


	9. All of the Details

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss is back but is starting to act differently. Peeta and Cato receive an unexpected surprise and face a problem with their relationship.

Cato

The next few weeks were a breeze. Peeta was by my side again in school and my grades were going up for the first time in history. People were cheerful and happy. The place wasn't as gloomy as it had been before. Well, unless you count Katniss.

There was something different about her. She'd been acting quite odd lately. Her usual bubbly self just wasn't there anymore. The pretty smile that would shine on her beaming face had disappeared since she had returned back to school after missing an entire week. She appeared empty. Not to mention her "amazing" friends who had abandoned her completely for what seemed to be no reason at all.

But there had to be a reason.

Peeta started to notice me worrying over the matter, as he seemed to know every single detail on my face now. Fortunately, that wasn't the only place on me where he seemed to know all of the details.

~~~

His warm breath tickled my neck as the tip of his tongue caressed the sensitive area just below my jawline. A slow moan escaped me from deep in my throat.

"You like that?" he breathed heavily into my ear. Yes. Yes yes yes.

"Uhh... Peeta, fuck me." I heard him chuckle.

Nibbling my ear, he allowed himself to slide his hand down to where my erection was tightened in a pair of Hollister jeans. Peeta suckled my shoulder as first my pants then my boxers gradually descended off of my body. Once my throbbing erection became exposed, I felt his hand slide down my stomach again until he reached all the way down and lightly squeezed me. An electric charge of pleasure swept through me and I groaned loudly. God, I wanted him so bad.

A loud knock on the door sent us both under my bed sheets for cover.

"Who is it?" I almost yelled. Annoyance was clearly heard in my voice.

"Your amazing brothers who have some amazing news to share with you!"

"Great, one sec!" Peeta and I hurriedly put our clothes back on. He attempted to smooth down my now crazed hair so I didn't look like I was almost just fucked.

I opened the door to my twin brothers' beaming faces. Cacius made it obvious that he was holding something behind his back.

"Guess what we got?!" His face was unbelievably bright.

"Laid?" I questioned. Peeta chuckled behind me.

Their expressions didn't change.

"Nope, even better!" exclaimed Colton.

(Ugh, they really need to start meeting people). "Well then I have no damn idea."

Cacius couldn't hold back any longer. "VIP METALLICA CONCERT TICKETS!"

Metallica... Concert... Tickets... VIP?!

"Oh yeah, we got one for Bread Boy too!"

Peeta and I looked at each other, stunned.

"I'm flattered beyond belief, you guys. Thank you so much," I spoke for both of us.

Cacius nodded, handing the two tickets to us, and the twins bounced down the stairs, talking excitedly amongst themselves. I closed the door quietly behind them.

Almost immediately, I felt Peeta's breath on the back of my neck again.

"I'm so fucking happy," he declared as he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face in my shoulder.

"This could quite possibly be the best day of my life," I said.

"Mine too."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"No way, man." I grabbed his hands and gently pushed him back on my bed. I positioned myself on top of him and weaved my fingers through his.

My eyes focused on him, striving to find all of the petty details. He smiled and kissed my lips.

~~~

Katniss was gone for another week of school. I couldn't help but glance over at her empty homeroom seat every morning, wondering why she wasn't sitting there, eager to learn about things that most teens forgot within the hour.

Marvel and Thresh had begun to accept Peeta into our group. It was nice, watching your bros for life get along with your gay secret admirer that no one knew about. I smirked at the kinky thought.

The concert was in about a month, when we'd be on spring break. My brothers told me that there would be alcohol involved as well. Psh, talk about the best spring break ever.

It was a Saturday night, which meant that I was spending time with Peeta (go figure). He had invited me to watch the stars with him on top of this hill that had nothing on it except a single tree. Some people called it the Hanging Tree, claiming that there was an eerie story behind it. I thought it was just another damn tree on this planet, but that's just my opinion.

There was not a cloud in sight as Peeta and I laid there hand in hand, the branches from the Hanging Tree swaying softly above us. We babbled on to each other about useless talk, possible theories of what could be happening to Katniss, the Metallica concert, our grades, my parents and their extremely odd parenting skills, where Peeta's dad could be, etc. We went on for what seemed like hours, and a full moon began to appear among the stars, as if it had developed a sudden interest in our conversation.

"We can't stay a secret like this forever, you know," Peeta said after a moment's pause.

Shit. I'd been dreading this conversation since we first started dating back in early September. I'm surprised he'd saved it for this long. It was already mid-March.

"Peeta, we both know well enough how my family would react. How everyone would react, really."

He turned his head so he was facing me, his expression grave. It was the hurtful truth. My parents would most likely disown me and my brothers would take away our Metallica tickets and never talk to us again. Not to mention how unpopular I would become in school. The titles that I was so well-known for in my class would be taken away from me...

I quickly shook away the childish thought and focused on how I would tell my family, if it ever came to that. My mind went blank as I tried to come up with different ideas. I asked Peeta if he knew any solutions, but he had nothing comforting to say. I sighed, staring back up at the stars as if they could give me guidance.

After a few minutes of tensed silence, I told Peeta I had to get back to the house before my parents realized that I had sneaked out. It was almost midnight.

He bid me farewell with a kiss on the cheek and we both went our separate ways, leaving the Hanging Tree to watch the stars alone.

I snuck in through an open kitchen window that one of my parents forgot to lock, since the front and back doors were both locked. My parents had a problem when it came to remembering things. In fact, they had several problems.

I didn't even bother getting undressed. I slouched on the bed and grabbed my iPod. Staring up at the empty ceiling, I listened to The Rains of Castamere on repeat until I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sososososososososo sorry for not updating! School is almost over for me, which means I need to start studying for Finals Week (which is this week, by the way). I'm extremely terrified but hopefully studying will make things better.   
> Anyways, tada! I updated!  
> Once Finals week is over I will be on summer vacation for 3 months, which means a lot more updates will be made.   
> Thank you all so much for being patient with me! I know I can be a slacker a lot of times, hehe.  
> Please enjoy this next chapter and I love all of my readers so much. Happy reading!
> 
> Xx -Angie

**Author's Note:**

> So this was just an introduction to Cato's character and how he thinks of other people, especially Peeta. Peeta isn't mentioned that often in this chapter only because I wanted to show how Cato wasn't even gay before he met Peeta. The next chapters soon to come are going to be a bit more lovey dovey, explicit romance type stuff. Hope you enjoyed this short intro (sorry for the shortness of this chapter, by the way). Please leave a comment if I made any errors or if you just want to tell me your input on the story or my writing skills. I know this whole Peeta x Cato ship isn't that big with Hunger Games fans, so please no hate on the story! I'm working really hard on it and I don't want haters to ruin it. So yeah. Have a lovely day.
> 
> Xx -Angie


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